Worth knowing! On upcoming and current events
On 11 and 12 February in Ķemeri National Park, an international event “Sustainable tourism in specially protected nature areas – towards greater added value”
On the Līgatne nature trails, a new exhibition, “What was rustling in the forest?”, has been open since December
From 2 to 31 January, the photography exhibition “Meadows in motion: a year on the Lielupe” at Jelgava City Library
Until 28 March, at the Riga customer centre of “Latvijas valsts meži”, the exhibition “Vārdene”
Until 31 January, secondary school students are invited to take part in the “LVM Bioeconomy School” scholarship competition
Until 27 January at 10.00, tenders may be submitted in the open competition “Management of protected species habitats and biotopes in 2025-2028, concluding a general agreement”
On 29 January, a discussion on the management of the red deer population
On 31 January, the conference “Biological diversity – for the future of humanity”
On 27-29 March, the 12th Baltic Theriological Conference “Baltic mammals in the turbulence of anthropogenic tensions”
On 10-11 April, the 67th international scientific conference of Daugavpils University
On 20-22 August, the international scientific conference “Sustainable horticulture from plant to product: challenges in a temperate climate – 2025” organised by the Institute of Horticulture
About the industry
In order to develop the production of new synthetic resins based on lignin, a natural component of wood, and thereby reduce the share of fossil raw materials in phenol formaldehyde resins, which are currently widely used in the manufacture of furniture, floor coverings, thermal insulation, sandpaper and many other everyday products, the “Latvijas Finieris” group has begun construction of a new factory in Bolderāja, Riga. finieris.com
AS “Latvijas finieris" plans to invest around 80 million euros in the company's development this year, the chairman of the company's board, Jānis Ciems, told the LETA news agency.db.lv
Sweden's largest forest owners' association and forest industry group Södra plans to sell its forest properties and related business operations in the Baltic states, according to a statement on the Södra website.
The group's statement says that Södra is looking for potential interested parties so that it can move forward with the sales process this year.lsm.lv
Our country must seize this opportunity and buy these Latvian forests being put up for sale. This is a matter of national interest. Firstly, it is a matter of national security, because large areas are located in Latgale; secondly, it is a matter of economic security.zm.gov.lv
An economist has no simple answer as to whether this is a question of political or even military security. Strautiņš points out that it is clear that having such a large part of the country's territory, around 1% of the total area, fall under the control of potentially hostile forces would be undesirable.db.lv
AS “Reģionālā investīciju banka” has granted funding of 3.8 million euros to the “ZAZA TIMBER” group of companies.db.lv
To improve forest health and prevent damage caused by the spruce bark beetle, “Rīgas meži” will begin sanitary felling in Vārnukrogs in mid-January. The work will be carried out over an area of 18 hectares, preserving structures that are important for biodiversity and taking care of the forest's sustainability.rigasmezi.lv
On the official side
Continuing the changes begun last year, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has set four priorities for the government in 2025 – security, support for families, economic growth and reducing bureaucracy, making public administration closer to people. This week the Prime Minister also begins individual talks with ministers to discuss what has been achieved and the implementation of this year's priorities.mk.gov.lv
On 14 January the government approved three new regulations that will provide state and EU support for making advisory services available to farmers, foresters and rural residents, and for developing the professional knowledge and skills of the advisers themselves and setting up demonstrations.zm.gov.lv
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the action plan for the economic growth and strengthening of security of Latvia's Eastern border region for 2025-2027, drawn up by VARAM in cooperation with sectoral ministries, local governments and other parties with an interest in the development of the Eastern border region. varam.gov.lv
This year the State Audit Office will begin three more audits, the topics of which were approved for 2024. A performance audit, “Sustainable management of the forests administered by VAS “Latvijas valsts meži””, and a performance audit, “Do projects financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development remain sustainable after the end of the monitoring period?”, will be carried out.delfi.lv
About the environment
The energy policy governance established in Latvia does not ensure purposeful progress towards achieving the goals of the National Energy and Climate Plan and does not offer a clear solution for how to finance the necessary measures, so the country risks failing to meet the plan's targets within the set deadline and also facing European Union sanctions, the State Audit Office has concluded in an audit.lsm.lv
In recent decades almost every natural disaster, large or small, has been viewed in the context of climate change. The combination of circumstances that caused the largest fires in the history of Los Angeles will be studied for a long time to come, but the world's leading news media cite climate change as one of the main causes of the disaster.lsm.lv
With the implementation of the Asbestos Support Programme, a significant step has been taken towards a Latvia that is safer for health and friendlier to the environment. Despite the limited funding, the project made it possible to safely manage a considerable quantity of asbestos-containing slate and to send it for disposal at landfill sites.kem.gov.lv
If the climate is changing, then we consider questions about adapting to those changes. Humanity has always done so, and there is no need to do otherwise now. All the more so because, for the time being, no territory on the globe has been recognised as having suffered from climate change. These changes have brought no harm to Latvia, and are hardly likely to do so in the future either.nra.lv
According to European Environment Agency data, air pollution kills at least 250,000 people in Europe every year. Moreover, prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels can adversely affect health, for example causing sleep disturbances, anxiety, cognitive impairment and mental health problems, resulting in 48,000 new cases of heart disease and 12,000 premature deaths in Europe each year.delfi.lv
How green was 2024? Of course, we are not talking about the colour, but about the figurative meanings the word carries: sustainability, nature and greenwashing. lsm.lv
About hunting
Under an order by the Director General of the State Forest Service, drive hunting of red deer and wild boar is permitted until 15 February in the 2024/2025 hunting season. The decision is based on considerations of expediency and on ensuring the sustainable management of hunting resources.zm.gov.lv
The State Forest Service has compiled statistics on the hunting inspections carried out in 2024, concluding that the most frequent hunting offence was illegal hunting. It is worth noting that this is the second year in a row that has passed without hunting accidents.vmd.gov.lv
A topical subject of discussion in the European Union is recommendations to ban or restrict the hunting of migratory birds; these ideas are often based on emotions, as well as on somewhat distorted data. Although the issue is not a new one, in recent years the methodology for assessing the sustainability of hunting has become much more sophisticated and more scientifically grounded.lasi.lv
On a fox and some bacon fat, and events in Galgauska parish.youtube.com
About the economy
The worst news in December was that, after 5 months of calm, monthly inflation in services prices was high again: they cost 0.9% more than in November, whereas a figure typical for the season would be around 0.4%. Since wage growth in the private sector has slowed sharply, there is reason to hope that this will prove to be an exception. It is also unpleasant that food cost 1.1% more than in November, and the price rise was twice as large as is typical for this month. ibizness.lv
Economics professor Romans Šeremeta warns that if Russia wins the war against Ukraine, the West too would have to pay a very high price for it, because rising defence spending will reach hundreds of billions of dollars in order to deter Russia from further aggression.lsm.lv
At the end of last year the company concluded a successful transaction, handing over half of the ownership of Tārgale park to its long-standing cooperation partner – the Danish pension manager Sampension.db.lv
On various matters
The ability to handle, understand and analyse the written word and text in a broad sense – that is, literacy – is low among roughly a third (34%) of Latvia's adult population aged 16 to 65. Likewise, slightly more than a third of Latvian adults (35%) have poor adaptive problem-solving skills in specific situations, which also makes it harder for these people to adapt to unexpected changes. Meanwhile, around a quarter (24%) of adults have a low level of numeracy.lsm.lv
Ever more names are coming up in the coalition's discussions on the new head of the Bank of Latvia, the Latvian Television programme “Panorāma” reported on Thursday.db.lv
Topical matters in cartoons
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